(JAPAN PRO) Japan Pro shaken by Baba's independence declaration

Weekly Pro

September 1972

At 6pm on Saturday, July 29th, in the Ariake Hall* of Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo, Giant Baba, in front of a packed crowd of press, declared his independence by announcing that he would be leaving Japan Pro Wrestling to become a freelance, and form a new promotion in the near future. At that moment, the press were filled with an air of disbelief, saying "I can't believe it..." 

Meanwhile, at the Japan Pro Wrestling office in Daikanyama, senior wrestlers such as Yoshinosato, Yoshimura, Oki, Sakaguchi, and Kojika were stunned for a while, saying, "It was so sudden, I don't know what to say..." and "This came as a complete surprise... we have received the resignation letter" 

Picture credits: Weekly Pro

Noah's Arkive Weekly Pro & Book Archive 

Notes

Ariake Hall of the Akasaka Prince Hotel: Ironically Differ Ariake would become Noah's home, and while the original Differ Ariake no longer exists, the Akasaka Prince Hotel has also been torn down. 

Yoshinosato: Wrestled from 1954 until 1972. He died twelve days before Giant Baba in January 1999, due to complications from a stroke suffered in March 1998. Former sumo.

Yoshimura: Michiaki Yoshimura. Died in Kobe February 15th 2003. Former sumo.

Oki: Kintarō Ōki. Korean (he entered Japan illegally in 1958 to become a Rikidozan student). Often known as the "forgotten 3rd student of Rikidozan", but was the trainer of WWE'S Tiger Chung Lee. Died in Seoul on October 26, 2006 of a heart attack bought on by chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.  

Sakaguchi: Seiji Sakaguchi. Baba's former tag partner in "Tokyo Towers"

Kojika: Great Kojika. Big Japan's long suffering manager.